An Unexpected Romance
by kak1994
Summary: Hermione Granger goes to the Burrow over Christmas break and discovers an unexpected romance. This story takes place after HP & the Deathly Hallows, but Fred did not die, and Hermione didn't kiss Ron. This happens before the epilogue. HG/FW. Please enjoy!
1. Chapter 1

An Unexpected Romance

**Author's Note:** This story takes place after the Deathly Hallows. Except Fred never died and Hermione never kissed Ron.

**POV: **This story will be in Hermione's view, unless I decide to do a few chapters in Fred's perspective.

**Disclaimer: **I own none of these characters. They belong to the brilliant J.K. Rowling. Lucky her!

**Chapter 1**

I sat in my room, reading a book of advanced level spells. This was pretty normal for me – just ask my two best friends. Harry would make it sound really intelligent, while Ron would make me sound like this huge dork. But this was how I spent my Christmas break.

Anyways, I was completely engrossed in my book when I heard a bump on the window. I jumped, and my book flew from my hands. I looked over at the window. There was a small brown owl flapping against the window, tangling in Christmas lights. He tried again to get in. For a small owl, Pigwidgeon could sure make a whole lot of noise.

I went and opened the window, and Pigwidgeon slammed right into me. Cursing, I fumbled ad tried to grab him. He escaped my grasp and flew around the room. "Pigwidgeon, you get over here right now!" I said, using my stern do-it-now voice. I had perfected it by dealing with Harry and Ron – but mostly Ron.

Pigwidgeon cheerfully hooted at me, but still came over to me. I first untangled him from the festive lights, and then I retrieved his note. He fidgeted, but allowed me to take the small scrap of parchment from his leg. I unwrapped it, and immediately I cheered up, recognizing Harry's scrawl.

_Hermione – _

_I'm at the Burrow. Everyone wants you to come if you can. See you soon. Happy Holidays!_

– _Harry_

Excellent! I would go right this very instant. I was so excited to see Harry, Ron, Ginny, Fred, and George! And Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, of course.

With a flick of my wand, my clothes folded and arranged themselves in my suitcase. I picked it up (even though I could have magically transported it, it made my parents nervous), stepped out of my room with Pigwidgeon following me, and went downstairs. I told my parents I was leaving to go stay with my friends, and that I'd be back after term.

I went out back, where there was a large shed that contained my mother's gardening tools. I went inside and grabbed Pigwidgeon. Holding both my suitcase and Ron's silly owl, I closed my eyes, concentrated on the Burrow, and Apparated.

I lurched right into a solid, muscular body. Strong hands caught me and held me up. I squeaked and dropped Pigwidgeon, who flew away. I opened my eyes. Standing in front of me was Fred Weasley. He was grinning at me. I stood extremely close to him, and he was still holding my arms. I blushed ferociously. He looked down, saw our intertwined arms, and turned a bright shade of red. He immediately let me go.

"Um….welcome!" he said awkwardly.

I smiled at him. "Thank you. It's good to be here."

A gnome ran past us, yelling as Pigwidgeon flew after him, pecking at his trousers.

Fred shook his head, and I noticed that he had grown his hair out. It made him look older, and really handsome.

"That bird is so dim-witted, I swear," he said, turning to me. "Don't you think?"

"Oh, definitely. When he tried to get into my room, he was all tangled up in Christmas lights. Quite festive, really," I agreed cheerfully. He laughed, and the sound made me laugh as well. Fred had a contagious laugh – you couldn't help but laugh right along with him, even if it got you into trouble more than once

He grinned at me, and oh, my, did that grin do things to me. I felt my face flame up and my knees turned to jelly. His grin was just so excited and mischievous. I loved it.

Once we had stopped laughing, he looked more seriously at me. His gaze quickly swept my body, and he turned red.

"You're looking….great, Hermione," he stammered out.

I blushed as well, but smiled shyly at him. "Thank you, Fred. You're looking good as well."

He looked down into my face. He was quite a bit taller than I was, but I liked that. He quietly said, "Hermione, listen –"

He was cut off as a streak of red flew towards me and tackled me to the ground.

"Hermione! You're here!"

I laughed. "Yes, Ginny, I am."

"Well, why didn't you tell me? When'd you get here? Where's your stuff? Where's Pig?" she barreled on.

"Gin, she got here five minutes ago. We were talking. Pig's chasing one of the gnomes. And her stuff is on the ground right next to you," Fred replied for me. "Now, let her up, and we can all go inside."

Ginny grumbled, but got off of my stomach. I breathed in relief. A large hand reached towards me. I looked up at Fred.

"Come on," he said softly. "Just grab on."

I put my small hand into his, marveling at the roughness and strength of his hands. They were twice as big as mine. Fred pulled me up with remarkable ease, enough so that he pulled me right into his chest. Oh my goodness, he smelled fantastic! Like the forest and spices. I breathed in deeply.

He held me tightly for a few moments. His hands felt warm and comforting on my back. His chest was toned, and his waist was slender. He was really well built.

Ginny cleared her throat.

We jumped apart guiltily. We were both blushing madly.

"Shall we go then?" Fred asked me.

"We shall." I replied in kind.

He reached out his hand towards me, and then realized what he was doing and pulled it back quickly.

We all walked into the Burrow. It felt like home.

**Author's Note:** What did you think? I hope you liked it! I am always looking to improve my writing, so constructive criticism is always welcome. Or, you could just tell me if you liked it. That would be awesome. Thanks to all who are reading this!


	2. Chapter 2

An Unexpected Romance

**Author's Note:** This story takes place after the Deathly Hallows. Except Fred never died and Hermione never kissed Ron. This is before the epilogue of the seventh book.

**POV: **This story will be in Hermione's view, unless I decide to do a few chapters in Fred's perspective.

**Disclaimer: **I own none of these characters. They belong to the brilliant J.K. Rowling. Lucky her!

**Chapter 2**

As soon as I stepped in the door, I was smothered in a hug that smelled of cinnamon and soap. I couldn't breathe, and I sort of choked. Mrs. Weasley heard me, and pulled back. She was wearing a large flowered dress and an apron. She was positively beaming at me. "Oh, Hermione, we all missed you so much! It's so good to see you again!" she exclaimed.

"It's wonderful to see you too, Mrs. Weasley," I replied, smiling at her.

She shouts upstairs, "Harry, Ron, Hermione's here!"

Seconds later, I hear several loud cracks, and I am surrounded by taller people. A boy with unruly black hair, startlingly green eyes behind round glasses, and a lightning shaped scar on his forehead grins at me. "Hermione, you're here! You got my note, then, yes?"

"Yeah, I did. Thanks for sending it to me," I replied, leaning forward to hug him.

"Hey, what about me?" Ron said indignantly.

I let go of Harry and spun on my heel to face the lanky redhead. "Oh, calm down, Ronald. Harry sent me the note, not you." I told him frostily.

Immediately, he got a hurt look on his face. "Fine…..you always pick Harry over me."

I hesitated a moment, then regretted my words and walked over and hugged him.

Pulling away, I looked him in the eye and smiled. "Better?" I asked.

Ron laughed uproariously. "Hermione! You should have seen your face!" he choked out between snorts. "It was priceless!"

It quickly dawned on me. "Ron, were you teasing me?"

"Well, yeah!" he replied, as if was soooo obvious. "Come on, Hermione, I didn't think you were that dense."

My eyes flashed and I started to retort, but Fred came to my defense. "She's not dense, Ron! Don't ever call her that!" he exclaimed hotly.

Ron's eyes widened in surprise. He had not expected this response, not at all.

Looking around, I saw the expressions of shock on everyone's faces. Mrs. Weasley looked shocked, but she was smiling knowingly. Fred saw her expression as well, and he blushed furiously.

An awkward silence commenced. Ron, the prat that he is, broke it. "So….um, are we going to do anything now?"

Mrs. Weasley spoke. "Yes, dear, we are. Hermione is going to go unpack her things, and then we are taking a trip to Diagon Alley. Fred, dear, will you go and help Hermione with her things?"

Fred nodded enthusiastically. He picked up my bags for me, and headed up the stairs. I followed him. He opened the door to his room.

"Um, Fred? Am I staying in your room?" I asked hesitantly.

"No, Ginny is staying in here with you and George and I are moving into her room," he replied easily.

Even with his casual response, I still felt like I was uprooting everyone from their proper places. "Look, Fred, I can sleep in Ginny's room with her, on the floor or something. I don't want to put you all out." I told him frankly.

He turned to look at me, his expression incredulous. "Hermione…we all want you here. You could _never _inconvenience us. You could never inconvenience _me_," he told me fervently.

I blushed. He sounded so serious….like he actually meant it. Like he wanted me here with all his heart.

"Fred…." I spoke softly.

He leaned toward me slowly, waiting for my reaction. I looked him in the eyes. So beautiful. I breathed in deeply, his intoxicating scent permeating my nostrils. I closed my eyes.

I could feel his breath on my face, gentle and sweet smelling.

Before our lips could meet, the door flew open. We jumped apart guiltily, and we both looked at the door. Ginny stood there holding my things. They obscured her view. We had left them outside the door. I let out a breath of relief that she had not seen what had almost happened. I didn't want anyone to know our feelings….not yet, anyways. This was going to be private for the time being.

"Are you guys going to help me or not?" she asked exasperatedly.

"Yes, sorry, Gin," Fred replied. He looked at me wistfully. I know the same feelings were reflected in my eyes.

"Sorry, Ginny," I echoed. "We're coming."

**Author's Note:** What did you think? I hope you liked it! I am always looking to improve my writing, so constructive criticism is always welcome. Or, you could just tell me if you liked it. That would be awesome. Thanks to all who are reading this!


	3. Chapter 3

An Unexpected Romance

**Author's Note:** This story takes place after the Deathly Hallows. Except Fred never died and Hermione never kissed Ron. This is before the epilogue of the seventh book.

**POV: **This story will be in Hermione's view, unless I decide to do a few chapters in Fred's perspective.

**Disclaimer: **I own none of these characters. They belong to the brilliant J.K. Rowling. Lucky her!

** Sorry I haven't updated in a while, guys! Have been studying like mad for finals – thank goodness they're over now! By the way, you guys are AWESOME for reviewing! **

**Chapter 3**

I stepped towards Ginny and tried to grab my heavy trunk. Fred stepped around me and lifted it easily from me. I looked at him, and he gave me his signature mischievous grin. I had to smile in return. With Fred carrying the heaviest thing, I ended up grabbing a duffel bag. We came back into Fred's room.

Fred manfully carried my trunk over to my bed, where he began to unpack it. "Fred!" I exclaimed. "Don't unpack my stuff, you dolt!"

He looked up, startled, from where he had been putting a blue blouse in my chest of drawers. "Why not?" he asked, genuinely puzzled. "Don't you want me to help – " he cut off as he realized what I was getting at. "Ohhhhh…..right. My apologies, Hermione. I'll just be going now" he said, as he backed out of the room, shamefaced.

"Fred – " I began to say. Ginny walked over to the door and shut it. "Oh, Hermione" she sighed. "Don't worry about him. He'll be fine. He sure can be thickheaded though, sometimes."

To my surprise – and clearly Ginny's – indignant words came out of my mouth. "Gin, don't call him thickheaded!"

Ginny looked at me, stunned. She had no idea what had provoked me, nor did I. I suppose it was the idea of her calling my Fred thickheaded. His head was gorgeous, as was the hair on top of it. Snap out of it, Hermione! I scolded myself. Ginny's talking to you. I came to just in time to hear the end of Ginny's apology: " – Hermione. I didn't mean to offend you" she answered.

All of a sudden, I felt horrible. "Oh, Gin, I'm sorry. I don't know what's gotten into me lately." But secretly, I did – it was Fred. My Fred.

"It's okay," Ginny understandingly replied. "Heck, Hermione, I get that way sometimes too!"

I spoke, relieved. "Gin, do you mind if…."

"Of course not, let's do it!" she replied.

I grinned. This was my best friend – the one who knew exactly what I was saying.

With her acquiescence, we took out our wands and quickly unpacked my things. It took less than five minutes. Finished, I flopped down on my bed as Ginny sat down on hers. "I love magic," we both said in unison. I grinned at her.

"So, Gin, I might be going to see what Fred's up to. Wanna come?" I asked her – simply out of politeness, I didn't really want her to come with me. I loved Ginny as a sister, but I wanted some alone time with Fred.

"No thanks, Hermione. I gotta go help Mum in the kitchen" she replied. I silently blessed Mrs. Weasley.

"Okay, then, see you in a bit" I replied, edging out into the hallway.

I turned around and walked quietly to Fred's room. I knocked on the door. Fred opened it, shirtless. My mouth fell open. Merlin's beard, he was fit! He was slim, but he was muscular. His tanned skin glistened in the sunlight streaming in through the open window. He was gorgeous. Realizing that my mouth was gaping like a frog, I quickly shut it. The snap was embarrassingly audible in the quietness of the room. I looked at Fred's face. It had the most peculiar expression on it – he was smirking at my reaction, but at the same time, he was blushing furiously.

"Hermione…." he hoarsely spoke. "I – " George cut him off as he boisterously came into the room. "Hermione!" he grinned at me, "So good to see you!"

He picked me up and swung me in a circle. When I was sufficiently dizzy, he put me down and kissed me on the cheek. I staggered against him, the room spinning. He wrapped his arms around my waist to keep me from falling over. When I regained my balance, I looked over at Fred. He was glaring at his twin, and his eyes were murderous. I had never seen this expression on my sweet Fred's beautiful face before, and it puzzled me. Until I realized that the warmth at my sides was due to his brother's big hands on my tiny waist.

I quickly untangled myself from George's hold. Fred looked down at me, eyes still smoldering. As soon as he saw me looking up at him, his expression melted, and his lips curved up into a smile. But behind his apparently easy expression I saw worry in his brown eyes. I wondered what the worry was, but dismissed it for the time being – I would ask him later.

George asked, seemingly oblivious to the tension in the room, "So what were you guys doing?"

Fred pointedly replied, "I was just about to ask Hermione if she would like to go on a walk with me."

I blushed at the intensity in his low voice, and spoke. "I'd love to go on a walk with you, Fred."

His eyes immediately brightened. "Right, then, let's go." Then, realizing he was bare-chested, he grabbed a shirt from his chest of drawers. He pulled it on quickly and I bid a silent goodbye to his glorious chest. He offered me his arm, and, blushing furiously, I took it. He waved to his twin brother with a smirk on his face, and led me out the door.

Once downstairs, I headed for the kitchen door. Fred, however, had other ideas. He wordlessly turned me around and led me out the back door. I stumbled over the doorstep, and Fred grabbed my waist to support me.

I smiled up into his face, so close to mine just then. He abruptly straightened, saying, "Come on, there's something I want to show you." We walked a short distance away from the house, then he took out his wand and looked down at me questioningly. I smiled at him and nodded. He then Apparated us.

**Author's Note:** I hope you liked it! The kiss – which I know you all have been anxiously awaiting, will be in the next chapter. I will try my best to post the next chapter tomorrow – it will be extra special, I hope! Please be patient, and keep on reviewing. Many thanks to all who are reading this!


	4. Author's Note

**A Word of Thanks**

I would just like to take a moment to thank all of those many faithful readers!

Many, many thanks to all of those who have my story listed as one of their favorite stories, or have my story on their list of story alerts:

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Many, many thanks to those who have me as one of their favorite authors or have me on their list of author alerts:

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Your support means so much to me. Thank you all so much!


	5. Chapter 4

An Unexpected Romance

**Author's Note:** This story takes place after the Deathly Hallows. Except Fred never died and Hermione never kissed Ron. This is before the epilogue of the seventh book.

**POV: **This story will be in Hermione's view, unless I decide to do a few chapters in Fred's perspective.

**Disclaimer: **I own none of these characters. They belong to the brilliant J.K. Rowling. Lucky her!

**And now, what you've all been waiting for… (drum roll please!)…THE KISS!**

**Chapter 4**

A blur of images danced across my closed eyelids, making me dizzy. I opened my eyes and saw stars. Fred was right beside me, which is the only reason that I didn't fall flat on my face. He was hugging me close to his side. I was sort of swooning at his proximity.

Once my vision cleared, I looked around and found myself in a forest. Fred had taken me to a small clearing. I could hear a babbling brook a small distance away. Fred gently grabbed my hand and led me towards the stream. Once there, he waved his wand, and a blanket unfolded on the ground in front of us. He sat down gracefully. I quickly followed suit.

Fred lay back on the blanket, and clasped my wrist and pulled me down with him. We lay side by side, staring upwards at the sky. He had chosen a spot in the forest where we could see the sky as we lay by the little river. Looking up at the sky, he suddenly asked, "Hermione, what do you see?"

I took it to mean in the clouds, so I studied the clouds. "I see…..an owl. What do you see?" I replied.

He turned towards me then, which made our bodies much closer. "I see a heart," he slowly answered, looking deeply into my eyes.

I paused, considering what this meant. I decided to ask the question that had been bugging me earlier. "Fred?" I asked tentatively.

He looked amused at my tone. "Yes?" he asked.

"Could I ask you something?" I said as I twisted a piece of hair around my finger.

His smile went away abruptly, and his eyes smoldered. "Hermione," he said fervently, "you can always ask me _anything_."

I was a little shocked at his reaction – the sense that he truly would do anything for me – but also, I was staring in fascination at his magnificent eyes. He was beautiful. I quickly zoned back into the conversation. "Why were you angry with George earlier? In your room, I mean?" I asked cautiously.

Fred sighed heavily. "I was hoping you hadn't noticed that….but of course you would, you're so observant and intelligent." he answered. "George was being…difficult."

I refrained from raising an eyebrow at the vague term. "Difficult?" I asked.

Fred sighed again. "I knew you wouldn't let that one slide, Hermione. Yes….difficult. He was being too exuberant – too affectionate."

Suddenly I understood – my Fred was _jealous_. Jealous of his twin brother! I paused, considering how to phrase what I was feeling. "Fred, you don't need to be jealous," I told him sincerely.

"Blast it, Hermione, yes I do!" he shouted. A bird, startled, flew into the air from its perch on a nearby tree. "All these years, and I still haven't told you!" he exclaimed.

I waited breathlessly for him to continue. He reached out a pushed a strand of hair off of my face. It was utterly silent. The birds were silent, and the trees had stopped swaying in the gentle breeze. When Fred spoke again, it was quietly. "I love you."

I just lay there stunned. I had no idea of his feelings toward me, let alone that they had been present for apparently quite some time. I knew that I was in love with him as well, but I didn't have the slightest idea that my feelings were reciprocated. Nevertheless, Fred was expecting some sort of response, and I was laying there gaping – again. I looked into his eyes, and replied, "Fred, I love you too."

The happiness that suddenly lit up my beloved's eyes was incredible. He slowly leaned closer to me, and I felt his warm breath on my face. As he came closer, I noticed several freckles on the bridge of his nose. They were adorable! His eyes twinkled, and I spotted green and gold flecks in his deep brown eyes. He smelled just like the forest around us.

I closed my eyes, and our lips touched. He covered my mouth with his, and his lips felt way more fantastic than I had imagined in my many daydreams. They were lush and soft. The heat of our mouths together was incredible. And, oh, his taste! He tasted of spices – especially cinnamon. I loved the taste of cinnamon. Without thinking about it, I reached my hand up and twisted my fingers into his hair. I pulled him closer to me and he deepened the kiss. He circled my mouth with his delicate tongue, and I opened my mouth with a sigh. Our tongues explored each others' mouths thoroughly. Fred put one hand on my little waist to pull me closer, and the other hand cradled my face. I felt the roughness of his hands, but I loved it. It was such a contrast of surfaces – his calloused hands against my smooth face. It was absolutely amazing.

All I could think was that this was better than any daydream that I could possibly cook up.

When I finally had to breathe, I pulled away reluctantly. I opened my eyes to gaze into his brown ones. We were both panting heavily. It was a long, intense kiss, and it had surprised both of us. Our bodies were perfect for each other, and everything came so naturally. We definitely had chemistry.

We stayed that way for several infinite moments – laying down, facing each other, our faces so close together. It was perfect. Neither one of us spoke, not wanting to ruin the perfect silence between us.

Fred leaned in and kissed my forehead softly. He brushed the hair back from my face. I struggled with his hair a bit, trying to get it to its previous state of order, before my fingers had mussed it.

Fred spoke suddenly. "Hermione, we should probably be getting back now. It's close to dinnertime."

He correctly interpreted my look of disappointment. He chucked softly and said, "I know, I feel the same way. But we can come back here anytime, you know. It will be our secret spot."

I immediately brightened and nodded enthusiastically. He chuckled again and sprang up nimbly from the blanket. He held out his hand to me and I took it. He pulled me up and crushed me to his chest. I could feel his soft lips in my hair. "I really do love you, you know," he murmured.

I snuggled closer to his chest, and smiled happily. "I know you do," I replied, "and you know that I love you."

He gently lifted my chin up so that he could see my face. "I hoped that you would feel that way," he whispered.

He let go of me and grabbed the blanket, then began folding it up. While he was occupied, I walked over to the little brook and stood there silently watching it. I heard footsteps behind me as Fred approached me. He put his arm around my waist and pulled me closer to his muscled body. I leaned my head on his shoulder, and sighed wistfully. "I wish we didn't ever have to leave this place," I sadly said.

He looked down at me nestled into his side, and replied, "We will come back, Hermione, don't worry. I promise you."

I smiled and looked up at him. I reached up and put my arms around his neck. I stretched up on my tiptoes to try to reach his face, but it wasn't enough. I gently tugged his face down to meet mine. Our lips met again as he put his big hands on my waist.

A few moments later, Fred pulled away with an expression of regret on his face. "Hermione, we really do have to go now," he said.

"Oops, sorry!" I replied, and blushed madly.

Fred looked down at me and spoke, "Believe me, if my mother wouldn't send Harry, Ron, Dad, and George out to look for us if we're not back in a couple of minutes, I would stay here forever with you. As it is, I'm tempted enough already."

I smiled at him and laced our fingers together. We turned and walked back to the entrance of the forest, where we bid farewell to our memorable forest and Apparated back home.

**Author's Note:** What did you think of the kissing scene? I hope that it lived up to your high expectations! This was my very first time writing a kissing scene, so I hope it turned out alright. I was on a roll and just had to post this tonight instead of tomorrow. I've got some ideas for the next chapter already, but if there's anything you want to see, please let me know. Thanks for reading!


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